Uprising
by DrunkenTavern
Summary: Sequel to "Danger Wears a Cape". With The Masked Booty vanquished, our penguin heroes return home victorious, but little did they know that something even more sinister and dangerously unexpected was looming over the horizon.
1. Prologue: The End

**Uprising**

Synopsis: Sequel to "Danger Wears a Cape". With The Masked Booty vanquished, our penguin heroes return home victorious, but little did they know that something even more sinister and dangerously unexpected was looming over the horizon.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Penguins of Madagascar, this is a work of fan fiction, and should be treated as such.

_ Author's Notes: This is my first fan fiction that was actually published on this site. I don't consider myself a good writer, since I'm only ten, but lessons from miztah Han changed all that, so hugs to him! Thanks very much to my very supportive and hilarious sister Panacea447, who also is the main reason I'm writing this story. A big virtual cookie to friend and mentor, DrunkenRookie, I hope you get better soon! This is my first, so it won't be too great. Oh well! please R&R, criticize and correct me if there's a typo. Enjoy:_

_~Kowalski4Evah!, Junior Member, DrunkenTavern_

***Prologue: The End***

"Excellent work boys!" said the figure whose identity was obscured with a large black mask covering his upper facial features, giving high-fives to each of his companions. Beside him, his companions were even more oddly dressed. The shortest of them seemed to be the most tenacious of the lot, his entire body covered by robotic armor the likes of which looked impenetrable, and several devices on the feet enabled the capability of it to fly, although the force needed from jet propulsion for an extremely heavy metal suit such as that to fly for an extended period of time was completely beyond me. The one beside him giving him the 'down low' was none other than the oddest of them all. Wearing a blue plastic helmet and red clip-on tie, he looked just like your average every-day toddler during play time. It was only until your eyes fell on the toilet seat arching behind the helmet, did you doubt this one's sanity. Finally we come to me, giving the high five to the masked, flat-headed form alongside me, his left flipper lowered. I slapped my flipper downward, only to hit nothing but air. His 'too slow' was heard when surprise took me, adding to what I had already felt on that rookie mistake. I was the most appropriately dressed of all of them of course, as I absentmindedly poked my brain-shaped headpiece. I looked up to stare at the frontal lobe still visible above my forehead through my goggle-protected eyes, my blue sparkly cape waving about in the wind behind me. Truly magnificent wasn't it? Ah, but alas I am not the one for whom this tale is concerned, no matter how ostentatiously dressed am I, but your humble narrator in this epic tale of fantasy, suspense, and an elaborate plot that shall take you on a roller coaster of emotion, which takes place in about three…two…one….

"Skip – I mean – Slappy?" came the echoic voice from within the metal suit. "Shouldn't we be returning the things Jul – I mean – The Masked Booty stole from all the citizens of Central Park Zoo?_[1]_"

"Very well Steel Penguin, but only on one condition…"

"What is that condition?"

"Only after one more epic pose! Hayah!" he screamed as they all closed ranks. He was in the center of it, his flippers on his sides and a rugged look on his masked face; his armored friend on the left, pointing the limb that housed his grapnel gun at the sky, his eyes following it, in heroic countenance; the helmeted one was on the right of Slappy, his flippers raised in a combat pose, grinning wolfishly; and I was at the center behind Slappy, both my flippers raised in triumph as I flashed a knowing smile. I sighed inwardly. Where were Marlene and her camera when you needed it?

"Alright boys, that's gonna do it." Slappy said, as he walked to the bags of stolen items pilfered by the Masked Booty on his one-minute crime spree. The others broke the pose as they took a bag each, Barf Bag carrying three. I took a glimpsed to my left, and caught the stout, retreating form of the sound-effect-cards guy, carrying the now retired Masked Booty for medical care. A stab of pity rose in me, but not for the vanquished villain, but rather for the one carrying him[2].

I sighed and continued to move along with my companions, checking my satchel for the stolen goods and delivering it to each one's rightful owners. We divided ourselves to cover the zoo more quickly. Slappy Hurt Punch continued on his current path, while Steel Penguin accepted the bag Barf Bag had given him and took to the skies and flew east. I turned to see Barf Bag headed toward the reptile house, and disappear as he entered. Alone, I proceeded to the otter habitat to return Marlene's stolen guitar.

I entered her cave-home shortly afterwards, the memory of Steel Penguin, Barf Bag and myself teaching that uncomfortable pillow a lesson filled my thoughts, and I couldn't help but smile at the memory of it_[3]_. Upon entering, I looked around for the expectant otter, but my eyes fell only upon her sleeping deeply, unaware that an item of hers was stolen by the now retired villain. I turned and decided to place her guitar where she normally placed it, on the leftmost corner of her cave-home. I reached the spot, and extracted the item from my bag. I turned it over in my flippers, gazing at it. It had an intricate design, clearly European in origin, and was made of highly polished lumber. Peeking behind me, I assured myself that Marlene was still asleep. I continued to gaze at the markings that lined most of the guitar. It was definitely European in origin. Quickly remembering that the sleeping otter was fond of Spanish guitars, I slowly stroked the markings along the sides of her guitar. Behind me, I heard movement as Marlene stirred, and as I spun around to see, my rising flipper caught the strings, producing a tune that caused the startled otter to wake.

"Wha - ? Who's there?" she demanded, and soon enough, her eyes fell on me. "Oh. Kowalski, it's just you. What are you doing here? You almost gave me a heart attack."

She stepped out of bed and walked towards me. I cursed myself for my stupidity_[4]_. I looked up to see her beside me, her hands on her hips and that expectant and somewhat impatient look on her face. Her eyes fell on her guitar, and I understood clearly.

"Umm – err – you're guitar was – umm – stolen." I stuttered, clearly nervous about that I was still holding it. Realizing that, I handed it over to her.

"Not by you I hope." She said delicately, as she accepted the guitar and looked it over, checking for any signs of damage on the intricate woodwork. I swallowed, and watched as she stared at me, with a curious expression forming on her face.

"Oh no, not by me but by the – ah – the Masked – I mean umm – Julien. That's right, Julien stole it."

Oh how I wish my stuttering stopped. She looked skeptical and didn't take her eyes off me while she blindly placed her guitar in its spot, familiarity with it to the point that she needn't look at what she was doing.

"Julien?", the otter said, he skepticism clearly distinguishable in her voice. "Unless Julien likes Spanish guitars, which I know he doesn't, I'm gonna ask, what are you doing here, and-",

Her gaze lowered, and I saw her skeptical look disappear for but a moment as she studied my costume. She looked back up to stare at me.

"-and what are you wearing?"

I sighed again. "Alright, since you know my true identity, I might as well tell you."

"True identity? Like a secret identity? What? Are some kinda superhero or something?"

I explained everything to her: the twins, the discovery of the comic books, Skipper's attitude, the clock tower, the Masked Booty, everything. Finishing my story, I looked up, expecting her to burst into laughter at my tale. However, she just smiled, which left me even more baffled.

"What? Seriously? And that's why Private and Rico were dressed like that too? And even Skipper? Wow! That just made my day."

Utterly relieved, I exhaled and looked at her again. Her skepticism was no longer visible on her face, it was replaced a smile that made me shudder. I narrowed my face in suspicion. "Marlene, what are you-"

"That is so geeky of you Kowalski! I mean, more than usual, but well, even Private, Rico and Skipper! Man, when will I ever understand you penguins?"

Laughing, she turned and tucked herself into bed and turned out the light. Concealed in the semi-darkness, I continued to return all the other stolen items: Joey's ball, which I could have done without the pain from the welcome the Kangaroo gave; Burt's peanuts, my still pained body slowing me down; and finally Ted's teddy bear, with my obvious body spasms prompting the concerned ursine creature to question me; and with that I was finished. I headed towards my habitat, excited to get into superhero action once more. I entered via the fish-bowl entrance to see my friends already home, continuing the high-fives.

"Ah Brain-boy!" said Slappy, receiving a backwards flipper slap from Barf Bag. "What took you so long?"

"Joey was quite welcoming. And Slappy, the name is the Throbbing - !"

"Well it won't matter now! Men, time to quite playtime and get back to the real world!"

This outburst startled all of us, especially me.

"What? You don't seriously mean that?" I asked while Slappy removed his mask, utter disbelief on each of my fellow crime-fighter's faces.

"Affirmative Kowalski." Complied Skipper, a superhero no more. "And the rest of you too. Off with the costumes. Stat!"

Although no one would dare disobey a direct order from Skipper unless they absolutely had to, none of them wanted to leave this life: the feeling of a hero, the whoosh in the air, the stupefied faces of the wrongdoers, dispensing demanded justice, the relief on the citizen, and the invigorating sensation of seeing the world with one less villain. No one wanted to leave that, but they had to anyway.

I sighed deeply_[5]_ as I pulled off my cape and headpiece, but my sadness was nothing compared to the others. Rico appeared wrenched away from fish as he removed his helmet and with some difficulty, the toilet seat; and Private burst into what would have been tears as he extricated himself from his armor. I soon felt hollow inside, like a beloved friend torn away from me forever, a rift of depression forming in the pit of my soul. Life was cruel, indeed, but then again, it was life.

"Good job boys! Now let's get ready for bed. Light's out at ten."

**"Kowalski's Clipboard"**

1 If you didn't catch the part where Private, Rico I and later Skipper dressed up as superheroes, try sneaking into the zoo's Administration office, hack into the information terminal, and search for it on the database entitled '_Nickelodeon_' with all the orange splatters. That should clarify it for you.

2 I sighed once more. These people were the least recognized in all these comic books, yet their role was of utmost significance. I see this as a personal and humiliating insult especially if they were reduced to nothing more than baggage collectors.

3 Still couldn't find it? Try doing a general search on something called '_Google_'. If still you can't find it – hmm – maybe I could have your brain rewired for a little experimenting?

4 Stupidity? Wait? What am I saying? I cursed myself for my – err – jumpiness. Yes, that's it, jumpiness.

5 Wait, have you been counting the amount of times I've sighed in this part of the story? Well don't bother, this is but the first of many more to come.


	2. Episode 1: Moonlit Discovery

**Uprising**

Synopsis: Sequel to "Danger Wears a Cape". With The Masked Booty vanquished, our penguin heroes return home victorious, but little did they know that something even more sinister and dangerously unexpected was looming over the horizon.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Penguins of Madagascar, this is a work of fan fiction, and should be treated as such.

_Well, here's the first episode! I still can't believe the Tavern admins approved my story XD (I don't even think the title is great :P). Thanks to Miztah Han for all the training, and Panacea447 for all the help and support. Thanks also to xxAznPenguin, for my first-ever review!_

_~Kowalski4Evah! of the Drunken Tavern_

***Episode 1: Moonlit Discovery***

Marlene was an otter, a rather interesting one at that. If memory serves, she was transferred from Monterey Aquarium in California after what she told us was an internet popularity scandal_[1]_. She didn't want to speak of the incident, so I assumed it was either rather embarrassing or a traumatic experience. Skipper was the first to meet her, considering he tackled her to the ground when she wanted to greet her neighbors. Beginning on that fateful day, we've come to develop what Private had called 'friendship'. Now I consider myself quite fortunate I had met her. She had a few points in her character that caught my attention.

First of all was her lack of boundary comprehension, where she turned berserk and feral every time she was brought outside the zoo. Further experimentation concluded it was in vast spaces, not only outside the zoo. Second was her intelligence. True, she viewed situations in contrast to Skipper's usual military approach, but she wasn't unintelligent either. The fact she could see things which I sometimes overlook, it – to some extent – unnerved me. Skipper was as well, since he was unable to accept a female could top him at anything, least of all in intelligence_[2]_. In all my years in the zoo, which isn't much, I have never quite met a female whose intelligence is somewhat close to or even on par with mine. It made me feel … comfortable around her. Third was her character as a whole. She intrigued me, and that was saying a lot. Her somewhat careless but heartfelt demeanor and her down-to-earth sensibility were what made her unique as an individual. How I wished I could study more about her psyche, maybe even scan her brain if she would let me, maybe a CAT scan, extensive therapy.… Frequently I frustrated myself trying to analyze what kind of upbringing she went through to produce an individual such as her, and how Skipper can still view her the way he does. It was of no surprise to me that she was able to quickly form a deep friendship with young Private, and in an odd way, Rico_[3]_. There was no denying that was the first outsider who become closest to us, and had more knowledge of our operation than anyone one of her civilian status. Although, Skipper still viewed her as a spy - although to lesser extent throughout their multiple interactions – who would steal our secrets; still saw women as inferiors to men; and scoffed at her friendly attitude, fate and destiny had something else planned for her, she just didn't know it at the time_[4]_….

Marlene paced the floors of her home, still thinking of what notes to add to the unfinished composition lying on her bed, her Spanish guitar beside it. She tapped the pen she held against her lips, looking up at the roof as she swerved to continue her pacing. An idea coming to her, she rushed to her bed and added a few chords to the piece. Sitting on her bed, she lifted her guitar and played it, contemplating the sound it produced. She considered it for a moment, and repeated it. Smiling to herself, she replaced the guitar and continued her pacing.

It was almost midnight, and her eyes were itchy with tiredness, her mouth dry and parched. Yet her determination to finish her musical piece pushed her ever forward, adding a few notes here and there, changing this chord and replacing it. This was the thing with Marlene, when it came to music and art; she was dead serious, with the determination of what a middle-aged housewife had against a stubborn toilet stain to boot. She stopped pacing just as an idea struck her, and placed the finishing touches to her masterpiece. Smiling at it, she was lost in thought, and only realized her tiredness when she tried and failed to stifle a huge yawn. She lifted a paw to rub her eyes, when she noticed she had not yet given it a title. Still smiling, she picked up her guitar and sprang out into the night.

She still hadn't heard it as a whole, and so could not yet give it an appropriate title. She leaped onto the east wall, where she could see the silvery glow of the full moon adding an aura of luminescence behind the New York City skyline. It looked beautiful, and wished she had brought her camera with her to capture this moment. Her smile stretched wider, and she began to play the first chords with her guitar. It was sheer tranquility as the music spoke without words to the moon above a skyscraper, adding another wondrous touch to the already striking scene. She felt the melody she was producing, felt it merge with her spirit, closing her eyes and letting her fingers dance along the strings.

Opening her eyes, her vision was filled with the silvery-white glow of the moon. It was wonderful, and she wished the moment had lasted forever: the music, _her_ music, and the wondrous scene above the city. Naming it '_The White Lady_', she considered doing a painting of it, to forever capture the moment. As much as she disliked it, she jumped off the wall, her yawns becoming too intense to stifle. She landed none too smoothly, her muscles tired and weak. Glancing behind her to take one last look at the serenity of the full moon, she sighed and made to walk to her habitat, until a flash of light teased her tired eyes.

She pouted and turned to the source of it behind her. Narrowing her vision, she saw it was just a book with an odd sheen that came from reflecting the moonlight above. Upon further inspection, she saw it was a pile of scattered comic books beside the dumpster, thrown away nonchalantly. She remembered Kowalski telling her something about comic books that evening, and how she found it amusing. Out of curiosity, she collected them in her arms, laid them down on her guitar, and continued to walk home for some rest. She set her guitar down on the left corner, her masterpiece in a drawer beside it. Slowly, she turned to gaze at the fallen comic books lying on her floor. She picked one up and turned it over in her paws. The front cover sported a large picture of an anthropomorphized lupine figure, running away from jets of gunfire behind it, carrying what appeared to be a crystal orb that resembled the moon in its meaty paws.

"'_The Adventures of Wolf-man, Issue number forty-seven: The Eclipse Orb_'?" she whispered the title, opening it and eyeing the pictures within it. So this is what Kowalski found so interesting. Indeed it was colorful, which would have appealed to Private. She turned a page to see multiple panels of the Wolf-man running from explosions, which explains the Rico part. She made to turn another page and examine the comic book, but a huge yawn nagged her otherwise. Dropping it, she rubbed her bloodshot eyes; and turned to her bed. She pulled the pillow towards her as she settled into it, finding a comfortable position. She took another glance at the comic books strewn over her floor, chuckled to herself and closed her eyes. She was asleep before the echoing sounds of her chuckle faded into the night.

"**Kowalski's Clipboard"**

1 There were numerous occasions of what exactly happened, all of which changed every time she was asked. First, she said it involved her love-life when she introduced herself; Second was at the zoo food court, where Maurice brought it up, where she stated it was about a dolphin and a barrel of shrimp; Third was when she answered it concerned a high speed chase down the Los Angeles freeway with a trunk stuffed with cruciferous vegetables during our last camping trip; and lastly when she explained that it was because of a nun, an umbrella, and thirty-eight pounds of Atlantic caviar at our Truth-or-Dare contest. After that, no one ever bothered asking.

2 I recall one time where Marlene was able to best Skipper in combat, he was edgy for weeks. Anyway, it involved us trapped in cages, for the rats and their King's plan about invading the surface world again, and Marlene showing up a few minutes later to check what the ruckus was. After hurling poorly disguised flirtatious insults at Marlene, the humungous rat was brought down with one move from the irritated otter. What move you ask? All I'll disclose is that it required eighteen bags of ice applied to his you-know-where. Feeling sorry for him, she went on a date with him, of which the aftermath is completely unknown to me.

3 At one point, I often questioned myself as to how Rico and Marlene became friends. I assumed it was because she took pity on him for his speech problems or questionable sanity. Private said it was because of common interests. I turned that explanation down, considering the limited amount of time they spend together. Hmm, I guess we'll never know.

4 Spoiler Alert! Just wanted you to know….


End file.
